Frailty index not related with hearing scores after cochlear implantation in elderly: Study

Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Published On 2021-04-23 22:47 GMT | Update On 2021-04-23 22:47 GMT

USA: Lower frailty index and more improvement in pure-tone average (PTA) predict the better quality of life (QoL) after cochlear implantation in older adults, a recent study in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, has revealed. According to the study, after cochlear implantation in older adults, frailty index does not correlate with hearing scores.

Alana Aylward, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and colleagues aimed to examine the relationship among frailty index, hearing measures, and hearing-related QOL in older recipients of cochlear implants.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults aged ≥65 years at the time of receiving cochlear implants between July 13, 2000, and April 3, 2019. They were asked to complete a questionnaire on hearing-related QOL.

Chart review was performed to identify patients' characteristics. Correlations were calculated between frailty index and audiologic outcome measures as well as between speech recognition scores and QOL scores.

Data for 143 respondents were included. The mean age was 80.7 years, with a mean 27.8 years of hearing loss before implantation.

Key findings of the study include:

The mean frailty index was 11.1 (SD, 10.6), indicating that patients had 1 or 2 of the measured comorbidities on average.
No correlation was found between lower frailty index (better health) and hearing scores, including pure tone averages (PTAs) and speech recognition scores.
Lower frailty index and larger improvement in PTA after cochlear implantation predicted better QOL scores on univariate analysis (respectively β = −0.42, β = −0.15) and multivariate analysis (β = −0.28, β = −0.16).
No speech recognition scores correlated with QOL after cochlear implantation.

"Frailty index does not correlate with hearing scores after cochlear implantation in older adults. Lower frailty index and more improvement in PTA predict better QOL scores after cochlear implantation in older adults," wrote the authors.

Reference:

The study titled, "Frailty and Quality of Life After Cochlear Implantation in Older Adults," is published in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

DOI: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/01945998211004589

Article Source : Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

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Frailty index not related with hearing scores after cochlear implantation in elderly: Study

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